Unmanned Aircraft Systems: A Latin American Review and Analysis from the Colombian Context

Abstract

The usage of unmanned aircraft systems to complete routine, commercial, and industrial tasks has increased throughout the world, evidencing better profitability and reducing risks for operators. However, in some countries, there is a low implementation of unmanned aircraft systems, particularly in the electrical sector, due to a lack of appropriation or adaptation of technology to the local environment. Therefore, this paper presents an analysis of the uses of unmanned aircraft systems in the electrical industry worldwide and its possible application to a local context to identify how the expansion of unmanned aerial vehicles is helping various industries. The contribution of this paper is to show how the employment of unmanned aerial vehicles can help in any particular task in the electrical sector and the appropriation of these technologies in a country, showing a possible categorization of unmanned aerial vehicles based on future applications and current regulations. The analysis was carried out in the Colombian context, considering the current regulation and the impact of its use. This research considers safety, security, and privacy implications, including the reduction of personal harm with low operation costs. In addition, the importance of future implementations in Colombia is discussed as a topic of interest for any electrical company, researchers, and government entities.